Dairy products have a crucial role to play as part of a healthy and balanced diet and lifestyle and Dairy UK wants to ensure they are put front and centre in dietary guidelines.

Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt are naturally nutrient rich foods. Milk, hard cheese and yogurt are the number one source of calcium in the UK diet. They also contain a wealth of other key nutrients such as protein, riboflavin, vitamin B12, iodine, phosphorus and potassium, all of which play an essential role in a healthy diet.

A large number of peer reviewed papers from around the world demonstrate the importance of dairy in helping people meet their nutrient needs, how milk and dairy foods appear to be protective in terms of certain diseases, are beneficial for recovery after exercise and can contribute to healthy ageing.

Dairy UK is working hard to ensure that policy makers recognise the significant contribution that dairy foods make to the UK diet and to address many of the misconceptions which exist around dairy even amongst policy messages.

People eat foods, not eat a juxtaposition of nutrients. It is therefore essential to consider the nutritional impact of whole foods and their role in a healthy and balanced diet instead of singling out nutrients. In working with government bodies such as the Department of Health and Public Health England we aim to ensure that accurate messages are circulated about dairy.

In 2016, Dairy UK worked with the Dairy All-Party Parliamentary Group to publish the "Putting Dairy Back on the Daily Menu" report, a comprehensive analysis of dairy and public health.